More Tears in J.K. Rowling Court Fight

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling watched as the creator of a book at the center of Rowling’s copyright-infringement lawsuit sobbed on the witness stand Tuesday.

Asked whether he still feels part of the Harry Potter fan community, Steven Vander Ark, a librarian who created the Harry Potter Lexicon and runs a Harry Potter fansite, www.hp-lexicon.org, said he regrets that his decision to publish a reference guide to Rowling’s series has ostracized him from fellow Potter fans.

"It’s been difficult because there’s been a lot of criticism and that was never the intention," Vander Ark said through tears. "This has been an important part of my life for nine years."

Rowling and Warner Bros., which owns the copyright to the Potter books, are suing the publisher of his book, RDR Publishing, to stop the release. On Monday, Rowling testified that the book should not be published because it simply rearranges facts from her series and also conflicts with plans for her own Potter encyclopedia and her intent to donate all proceeds to charity.

A spokesperson for Rowling and Warner Bros. Entertainment issued a statement Tuesday after Vander Ark’s statement, which said, "a fan’s affectionate enthusiasm should not obscure the acts of plagiarism."